The Flying Fig — Restaurant in Adelaide

Disappointing. I'll break this review down: 10/10 Location and venue 5/10 Service 4/10 Ambiance 0/10 for the "Flying Fig Bowl"

Having worked 10 years in hospitality prior to moving interstate - it's always nice to go out with family to enjoy hidden gems together. My parents had ordered the OG Ruben which looked fantastic - you can't go wrong with home made pickles and Pastrami made in-house. However, The Flying Fig bowl left a lot to the imagination. Much like my ex - the salad was bland, boring and salty. A boiled egg so overcooked it could be utilised by the Adelaide 36'ers as a basketball, menacingly placed on top of the salad, bitter Frisee salad mixed with 3 cos lettuce leafs, a dollop of shredded beetroot - a very salty quinoa spiced assortment, corn, 3 slices of tomato with a bit of salt and pepper, 3 slices of radish and the bland train continues ... A saving grace for this mess? A citrus dressing to cut through the bitterness of the Frisee salad and elevate the fresh produce used and to cleanse the palate from the saltiness of whatever the quinoa was, or a French dijon vinaigrette, perhaps even throw some crusty bread on the side. It's a shame that the only thing eaten from the bowl was the Lox. What a waste of $23.

To the service, whilst yes - it was a "busy" Saturday afternoon - around 2pm, however everyone looked flustered as the staff themselves struggled to cope with the lack of air-conditioning. My heart goes out to you. The overall ambiance was okay - inside is super acoustic, had difficulty hearing a single word. The iced almond latte was great, kudos for using good beans. Unsure of who the gentleman was behind the coffee machine - he looked as if he didn't want to be there. As there were zero coffee orders when we walked in, coffee still took 15 mins to arrive (a shot of coffee with Almond milk and ice cubes?????).

Overall, much like the salad - this experience left a bland taste. It's nothing special and overpriced. Will not be...

This unassuming small corner cafe is a lovely surprise ! When it’s cold and it rains , your thoughts turn to food . It was by chance that my friend and I found this place and went in to try . It was only after we parked nearby that he remembered he’d been here before and had had a lovely experience . The Flying Fig is apparently modeled after a NY Jewish Deli ( not that I’ve ever been to NY) . When we entered , it was warm and cozy , with a lovely aroma of coffee mixing with spices . The server was prompt and all smiles , told us to choose seating and followed us with menus to a small wooden window seat . My friend had already eaten , but ordered a small banana cake , with a side pitcher of cream , just right for a wet Winters afternoon. I ordered an iced almond latte - the coffee was a dark roast with a slight fruity aftertaste. I forgot to ask which blend they used , but it was pleasant. The menu was a little different to ordinary cafe fare , and had lots of dietary options. I ordered the smashed avo with poached eggs, but the difference being that instead of the ordinary toast, it was stacked on a sweet potato latke , which was so warm and crispy on the outside , and soft and sweet inside . The eggs were perfectly cooked , with runny yolks , and the smashed avocado and hazelnut dukkah helped round out the dish . The surprise element was the Manischewitz wine reduction ( which apparently is a non alcoholic Jewish wine , which tastes like a cross between maple syrup and honey , and complimented the hazelnuts)In addition, it was plated beautifully. I really loved this dish . The owner was so happy and friendly; he came to the table and ready to explain any questions that you had about the menu . Definitely need to come back and try the French Toast - which has a gluten free option . I saw it at someone’s table and it looked amazing. If you are getting a little tired of normal cafe fare, give this...

After enjoying a nice lunch and friendly service today (with a few hiccups but all forgivable) I ordered a slice of cherry pie and was upsold a side of cream. As soon as I took a bite I realised the cream was off (very off), but as I had no napkin I couldn't spit it out. It was extremely unpleasant, to put it mildly.

I've worked in hospitality for over ten years and understand that mistakes happen, however the way this was handled made me doubtful I would return to the venue. I politely let a staff member know what was wrong, and she let me know she would inform the manager. A few (fairly uncomfortable) minutes later a young waitress returned with another slice of cherry pie with cream... I did not request another slice of pie and I certainly was not about to eat one after the experience I had just had. I refused the pie citing the cream as the issue, to which she responded "oh no, but this is fresh cream". Yep, I certainly hope you weren't bringing me more off cream? I asked if they could settle the bill with my partner and left, desperate to get home and brush my teeth.

The pie I didn't eat was taken off our bill, however nothing else was comped - we paid for our meals, tea, coffee. He received an apology but it did not reflect the severity of the mistake. At no point did a manager come to speak with me, at no point was I actually asked what I would like to rectify the issue, instead I was delivered another slice of the thing that almost made me throw up.

Next time, ask yourself, if I just ate off cream, would I want to be given MORE cream as a form of compensation? Probably not. I probably won't eat cream for a very long time.

If this had been handled properly I would not be leaving...